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Moved and renamed, rescued and preserved, Inchgower became more than just a distillery for its founders and his loyal workers

Moved and renamed, rescued and preserved, Inchgower became more than just a distillery for its founders and his loyal workers. It was an idea – a reaction to increasing land prices, and a commitment to Single Malt Scotch Whisky – and one of the only distilleries to inspire a poem.

Inchgower 14 Years Old Flora & Fauna

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A confusingly delicious coastal malt

Like edible seaweed

In many ways, Inchgower whisky compares to the inland Speyside malts as does Manzanilla to inland sherries – cleaner, more assertive, less elegant perhaps, dry and fruity, with a crisp, salty tang, that reflects its coastal upbringing.

The Inchgower distillery

The Inchgower distillery

Originally known as Tochieneal, the distillery was built near Cullen, by local factor, Alexander Wilson. His nephew - confusingly called Uncle Sandy - built a thriving business, but was forced to suspend operations in 1870, when a doubling of the rent made the small premises uneconomic to operate. A move to the coast where the rent was lower, and Inchgower was born 1871. Men who spent their working lives there recorded the move in the poem “Tochieneal”. Inchgower remained in the Wilson family until 1929, but had to be saved from receivership by the local council during the troubled 1930s. Happily, acquisition by Arthur Bell & Sons in 1938 secured its future, and – aside from an expansion to accommodate two more stills in 1966 – the buildings are largely unchanged to this day.